A BORDERS town has set its sights on becoming the most accessible town in Scotland.

In a bid to improve how accessible the town is, a Galashiels organisation is hosting an event for retailers and residents to come along and ask questions on what it means to be accessible and to share what access needs aren't currently offered.

The Energise Galashiels Trust will hold the business forum at the end of this month at the Mac Arts Centre.

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"There's a lot of work going on in the town in terms of regeneration," said Emily Magowan, a volunteer with the Energise Galashiels Trust. "We asked ourselves how accessible the town is to disabled people, particularly for visitors but also our own residents."

The trust has teamed up with Euan's Guide, a charity which assesses how accessible businesses are for disabled people.

Paul J. Ralph, the access and inclusion director at Euan's Guide, who also founded Disabled Access Day, said that Galashiels is "already highly accessible" thanks to the ease of access to the town from the Interchange via Douglas Bridge.

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But there are other steps that businesses can take to help their disabled customers.

The aim of the business forum is to show businesses in Galashiels how easy it can be to become more accessible – and that it doesn't have to break the bank to do so either.

Emily added: "It doesn't have to be widening doorways or adding lifts or ramps.

"It can be things like having card readers that have braille on them.

"Paul will be at the event and he wants people to come along and feel like it's a safe space to ask questions they may have felt too nervous to ask before."

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The trust hopes that by becoming more accessible, businesses in Galashiels could benefit from a greater number of visitors.

After a period of time following any changes made in the town, a representative from Euan's Guide will audit the town.

The Energise Galashiels Trust will then know if they can proudly say that the town is the most accessible town in Scotland.

To join the free business forum event on Wednesday, May 25 from 5.30-7.30pm at the MacArts Centre, click here to book your place.